


Hidden Mysteries

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Ben Solo Has Nightmares, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon, Jedi Ben Solo, Light Angst, Luke Skywalker Is An Asshole, M/M, Pilot Poe Dameron, Protective Poe Dameron, Slow Burn Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Space Mom Leia Organa, Young Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-14 03:59:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16032524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: While traveling to Yavin IV to investigate the legend of Exar Kun, Ben Solo strikes up a friendship with New Republic Navy pilot Poe Dameron. This friendship later develops into something more as Ben deals with the call to the Dark Side ever in himself.





	1. Yavin Landing

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Luke Skywalker’s ship came out of hyperspace over Yavin IV, and Ben woke at the sudden jolt to the ship as it stopped over the planet. 

The first thing he noticed was that the planet was massive, scarlet in color and looming against the blackness of space. The second thing he noticed, even as they swooped into the planet, was that it was a lush, jungle-filled planet, full of life and beauty. Even as they got out of the ship, Ben looked around in amazement, taking in every tall tree, every bit of lushness. 

“Ben,” Luke said, “We should stay on task.”

Ben’s face fell. His uncle had a talent for cutting to the metaphorical quick, he just about always did. He supposed his uncle was right, but he still felt foolish. 

“Sorry, uncle,” he said. Luke huffed a bit before turning to the others. 

“Yavin IV has a complex history,” he said. “This was where the battle of Yavin was fought, yes, but there’s more to it than that. This is where Exar Kun once resided — and still resides. Be cautious. There are still remnants of the Dark Side there — but also bastions of the Light.”

Ben couldn’t say he was reassured. In all honesty, he had had enough of the Dark Side pulling at him. That uneasy feeling, like he didn’t quite belong...

It was later as they walked towards one house that Ben could swear that he felt the Light Side of the Force practically thrumming from the tree that stood there. Radiant, practically blinding. A man with a slight goatee came out of one of the houses in that moment and greeted Luke like an old friend. While Luke was distracted, Ben noticed a young man in a flight suit with a BB unit emerge from the house as well. 

 Ben noticed that he was quite lovely, with messy black hair and expressive brown eyes. Everything about his delicately sculpted features seemed just about perfect, and Ben couldn’t help but feel awkward next to him. He was twenty, and he still hadn’t gotten pretty, so to speak. He was awkward and odd and out of place, and he supposed that he would always be that way. 

“I’m Poe,” he said, and even his voice — even his voice was pleasant to listen to. “This is my droid, BB-8. I’ve had him for a while.”

“Ben.” Ben couldn’t help but feel almost shy next to him, but there was something about this young man that seemed open and friendly, so there was really no need to be nervous, not really. 

Even as Luke talked with Kes, Ben and Poe took some time to talk as well. “So,” Poe said, “This your first time visiting Yavin IV?”

Ben nodded. “My uncle and I, and the others...” He swallowed. “We’re just learning about the Force,” he said. 

“Yeah, my dad says there’s definitely some interesting stuff here. Interesting stories, legends, things like that.” A beat. “It’s really cool, that Master Skywalker’s your uncle.”

Ben bit his lip. How was he going to explain to Poe how his uncle could make him feel small? He couldn’t. Otherwise, Poe would learn how wrong he was, and Ben couldn’t risk that. 

“He’s...not boring,” Ben said, and Poe smiled. There was nothing mocking in it, though. Ben decided he liked that smile — it was warm, friendly, welcoming, and it only made Poe look more beautiful, in Ben’s opinion. It was enough to make Ben feel, oddly, more at ease. 

“I can see that. So,” Poe said, “You’re a Jedi? That’s amazing!”

Ben wanted to say it wasn’t that amazing. That really, frequently, it was frustrating, and he didn’t quite fit in. That his uncle seemed to be frequently afraid of him. That...

”It’s...all right, I guess,” Ben said. He didn’t know if a complete stranger would want to hear all his Jedi Academy woes. “So, what do you do?”

”I’m a pilot,” Poe said. “I’m in the New Republic Navy. I go on missions for them...”

”You’re doing a very noble thing.”

Poe shrugged. “There are others, y’know,” he said, and there was something about that little shrug that was truly endearing, Ben couldn’t help but think. “Jess Pava, Snap...well, his real name’s Temmin, but we call him Snap...”

“Interesting nickname.”

”Yeah. They’re all wonderful people, and I’m honored serving with them.”

”That’s good. So, on Yavin IV...”

”I’m on leave. I figured I’d stop by and visit my dad; he’s been pretty lonely lately.” Then, “I could show you around, if you want. Your uncle actually gave us this Force Sensitive tree. I actually climbed it a few times when I was a kid...”

“You must have been really brave.”

Poe laughed. It was a sound that was beautiful, like the rest of him. “My dad would say ‘reckless’, but thanks.”

They walked around towards an A-wing, and Ben said, “How long have you been a pilot?”

”Since I was little. Not like I was in the New Republic Navy when I was a kid, but my mom taught me a bit about flying...”

Even the very image of a young child wearing a pilot’s helmet was enough to make Ben smile. Poe smiled back, and it was enough to make Ben feel at ease. “My mom used to fly this A-wing to defend Yavin,” he said. “And then she...passed on.” His voice became more somber. “Long illness.”

”I’m sorry,” Ben said. “I bet she was an extraordinary woman. At least from what I heard.”

”Yeah. She was.”

It was once Ben and Poe got out of the A-wing that Ben walked back over towards his uncle, but not before looking back at Poe and saying, “Are you doing something tonight?”

”Nothing much. You?”

”Nothing much. Hopefully.” Ben smiled. “I hope to see you again.”

”Yeah,” Poe said. “Same.”

***

It was later that Ben contacted his mother, and she asked how landing on Yavin went. 

“It went...really well,” Ben said. “I met Poe Dameron.”

”Did you?” Leia sounded curious in that moment. 

“He’s a really nice person.” Ben couldn’t even begin to describe how beautiful he was, how friendly and kind and warm, how he’d wanted to be a pilot in the first place because of his mother — no different than when Ben was three and wanted to be like his father. “He’s really charming and nice.”

”That’s good to hear,” Leia said. “I trust things are going well with your uncle?”

”They’re going all right.” Ben didn’t know how to explain to her how his uncle seemed to be afraid of him. So he lied instead. A white lie; white lies wouldn’t really hurt anyone. “How are things back in your part of the galaxy?”

”Good. We miss you, Ben.” 

 _Why’d you send me away?_ Ben wanted to say, but he didn’t say it out loud. Some things weren’t meant to be said out loud. 

Leia said, “Come back soon.”

”We will,” Ben said. 


	2. The Damerons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Poe spend time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Making his way to Kes Dameron’s house, Ben could swear that he felt something tugging at him, something unpleasant and cold. Not physically, but it was there nonetheless. Ben drew his arms closer to himself, shivering despite himself. Yavin just felt cold right now, and Ben couldn’t say he liked it. 

That cold feeling was definitely nothing new for Ben. He’d felt it before, when he was younger, and of course, now that he was older.  It was something that was as familiar as anything, and he hated it. 

It was knocking on the door that Kes Dameron  answered it. “You’re Poe’s new friend, aren’t you?” he said. 

Ben nodded. 

“Come in! Poe’s been pretty excited to see you.”

Soon enough, Poe’s face lit up as Ben entered. “Hey!” he said. “You made it. Good to see you.”

”Good to see you too,” Ben said. He sat down in one of the chairs; the inside of Kes’ house just felt warm after the chill of outside, he couldn’t help but think. 

“So,” Kes said, “Luke tells me you’re on some sort of expedition? Something about Kun?”

“Yeah.” Ben ran a hand through his hair. “That’s part of why we came here. Exar Kun —  one of the first fallen Jedi out there.” 

“I heard about him. Mostly ghost stories — some guy who randomly snapped one day and decided to go out doing evil.” Poe sighed. “They say his ghost haunts the Temple down there, but that’s not possible, is it?”

”Well,” Ben said, “I’m not really an expert in the Force, so I can’t say.” He paused. “I guess the Force is what you want it to be, though...” He smiled. “According to my uncle, it does have its limitations.”

”I can’t imagine." Poe sighed. “Honestly, I’m not a Jedi, but that Temple just gives me the creeps when I look at it. Just about everyone on Yavin thinks of it like a haunted house, and not like the fun ones either.”

”They might be right,” Ben said. 

Kes spoke up. “I still don’t know why they haven’t torn that place down,” he said. 

“Well,” Ben said, “I can’t imagine it would be easy.” He sighed. “We might be stopping by it...”

”That’s definitely not a good idea,” Poe said. 

“Well, we won’t be going there alone,” Ben said. “My uncle thinks it might be a good test.”

”You guys are either really brave, really crazy, or both.”

”Well,” Ben said, “I can imagine you’d need to have both to be a Jedi.”

”Probably,” Poe said. 

The three of them laughed, and Ben decided that he liked them. It didn’t feel like he had to put on an act somehow. It didn’t feel like he needed to worry, really.

They talked more about Poe’s career as a pilot so far. And sitting among them, Ben felt, almost irrationally, like he was where he belonged. 


	3. Waking World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and his fellow students explore the Jedi Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

 The next morning was rough on Ben. 

That was putting it mildly. After having another nightmare attack, Ben wasn’t looking forward to going back to sleep, actually. The strange thing about his nightmares was that they almost seemed like they were putting together a puzzle, though Ben would be damned if he knew what puzzle. Maybe there was something wrong with him. No one else had these struggles. Especially not his uncle. His stupid perfect uncle with his stupid perfect life he had to lord over everyone else — and Ben couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt thinking that way. 

Ben met with Poe after breakfast, where the pilot looked at him in concern. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.” 

“I had a rough night,” Ben said, shrugging as he spoke. 

“This happen often?”

Ben nodded. It was best to not go into too many details in regards to his nightmares; it was one of those things where you couldn’t just talk about it with even someone you were just starting to be friends with. You had to be careful. Poe would most likely hate him if he knew. 

Stars willing his uncle already did. 

“Sorry to hear that,” Poe said. “I definitely have my share too. You’re not alone.”

Ben wondered if Poe’s nightmares were as vicious, as bloody as his. There was something about them that was enough to make Ben wonder if there was something wrong with him. His uncle definitely seemed to think so, just the way that he looked at Ben...

”I’m sorry,” he said, “That you have nightmares.” Someone as sunny as Poe didn’t deserve to have nightmares. 

Ben had to join up with the group, of course, walking through the forest towards the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV. There was something about just being near it that made Ben feel like he was in the presence of history. A whole slew of Jedi before him where he couldn’t even begin to measure up. 

It was investigating inside that they found holocrons, lightsaber crystals, and plenty more. Ben supposed he could give Poe some lightsaber crystals, just to show him what it was like. Even putting them in his bag, he ignored the others, who were mostly roaming in different rooms or finding new ways to get reprimanded by Ben’s uncle. 

Ben couldn’t say he felt much connected to many of them. 

It was outside that Ben swore he could feel the same cold presence tugging at his belly again. And a voice whispered in his ear. _Ben_...

Ben shook it off in that moment, gritting his teeth. He couldn’t afford to get distracted. Not really. He had to ignore that pull, at whatever cost. 

_Wouldn’t it just be easier to give in? You’ve always been weak, Ben. You can’t even use the Force right..._

”Ben?” It was one of Ben’s friends, Kara, that stirred him out of his reverie. 

“Sorry. Just tired.” Ben doubted he wanted to go to sleep, though. Not when he got back, at least. 

When he did get back, he shared some of his lightsaber crystals with Poe. “I’ve been thinking of changing the color of my lightsaber,” Ben said. “But thing is...I like the blue.” At the workbench, He took apart the lightsaber, inserting one of the modifying crystals in it. “Mostly I want to make it stronger, quicker.”

”I’ve never seen you use it,” Poe said. 

Ben laughed. “According to one of the Masters, a drunken gizka with one leg has more coordination than me.”

”That’s pretty mean.”

”It’s not unnecessary if it’s true,”  Ben said. “I’ve been working at it, but...sometimes I wonder if I’m good enough.”

”Ben,” Poe said, “There is nothing wrong with you. The fact that you’re even doing all this is pretty amazing.”

Ben smiled weakly. “Thanks. I mean...Kara tries to say stuff like that, but I don’t think she was ever outright about it...”

”So what do you like to do?” Poe said. 

And even talking about some of the things he was working on, things like learning calligraphy, there was something about Poe that left a strange fluttery feeling in his stomach. After all, Poe appreciated him. Saw something in him. 

That was pretty amazing. 


	4. Recklessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben goes to Kun’s tomb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Author’s Notes: Special thanks to Wookieepedia for helping me with this.

Ben’s nightmares were a confused mess this time around. There was the matter of the spirit of Exar Kun, pictures that he had seen in holobooks, transforming into someone else entirely — a skeletal, pale figure in gold robes.  Even snapping awake, Ben couldn’t help but feel like he had found a critical clue. 

Maybe that was the clue to his nightmares. Going into Kun’s tomb — but then again, that was reckless, wasn’t it? Then again, he supposed, recklessness was the name of his game. 

Even heading away from the path, away from the others, Ben felt small in the shadow of Exar Kun’s tomb. That wasn’t easy considering a lot of people and aliens and things were shorter than Ben Solo. He supposed that he couldn’t afford to panic right now. He had to at least investigate...

”Hey, Ben.”

Poe’s voice was what brought him out of his haze. There was something about Poe’s presence that was stabilizing, he couldn’t help but think. Even with the ice cold presence that battered at him. 

“Hey,” Ben said. “You thinking of going in too?”

Poe looked up at the tomb. “I dunno. Pretty creepy, isn’t it? Not exactly a place to have a picnic.”

”Unless you like Sith ghosts interrupting your picnic,” Ben said. He couldn’t believe he was making jokes about the Dark Side with Poe, but here he was. It was nice, actually, not having it all be buried underneath anxiety and loneliness and perfectionism. It really was truly nice. 

“So you thinking of going in?” Poe said. 

“I had a nightmare,” Ben said, “And I think Kun’s tomb might be the key to solving it.”

”Could have just been a bad dream,” Poe said. 

“I dunno. It just felt like it was part of a puzzle,” Ben said. “I just know it."

Poe took a deep breath. “You should get back to your uncle,” he said. “Really.”

Ben supposed he was right. And even getting back to his uncle, who made sure to all but humiliate him in front of the others, he already felt even more like nothing than before. Poe spoke up in that moment. 

“Ben was just exploring,” he said. 

“Well, maybe he should be more sensible in that,” Luke said. “We don’t need reckless people in the Order.”

Some of the students snickered, and Ben gritted his teeth. He would show them. He would take on Exar Kun, and he would show them all. 

***

It was that anger that led Ben down the path that night. Even crossing was difficult — going through the water left Ben all but with dripping feet when he got there. He looked anxiously back at the forest, wondering if in a moment of anger he had done something stupid, before gritting his teeth and heading to the door. 

There were strange symbols etched on the walls outside the tomb. Ben squinted at the writing; he couldn’t read it, but whatever it was, it was old writing. Very old. Apparently it was Sith hieroglyphics meant to protect the Temple and call doom to its enemies. Probably a good sign to turn back. 

And yet, if he could stop Kun, he could show them all...

Ben took a deep breath and went inside. 


End file.
